NEW YORK -– The opening round of the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs featured three Game 7s, a record 17 overtime games and 28 one-goal contests. Twenty-two of the 47 games were won by clubs that had trailed in the contest, including 10 by teams that were down in the third period.

The defending champion Kings (a No. 5 seed) overcame a 2-0 series deficit to keep their repeat hopes alive, while three other lower-seeded clubs (No. 6 Rangers, No. 7 Senators, No. 7 Red Wings) advanced to the second round.

When the dust settled, it set up a Conference Semifinal round that includes two "Original Six" matchups (Chicago vs. Detroit, Boston vs. NY Rangers), an all-California battle (Los Angeles vs. San Jose) and a budding rivalry (Pittsburgh vs. Ottawa).

Among the many highlights of the first round:

RECORD NUMBER OF OVERTIMES

Seventeen of the 47 opening-round games (36.2%) in the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs required overtime, an NHL record. Every first-round series included at least one overtime game.

After eight series, 47 games and a record 17 overtime sessions, eight teams have advanced to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Henrik Lundqvist

Goalie - NYR

RECORD: 4-3-2
GAA: 1.65 | SVP: 0.947

NHL.com gathered nine staff writers and each was asked to name his 3 Stars of the first round of the playoffs.

The voting produced an interesting trend -- the nine writers picked a total of nine players, with seven receiving multiple votes. And though some could argue the results skew toward Eastern Conference players, more Western Conference players received votes.

Here are the voting results. Note: A player received three points for a first-place vote, two for a second and one for third (number of first-place votes in parentheses):

NEW YORK -- The National Hockey League announced today Game 1 dates of the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs Conference Semifinal round for the three matchups that have been determined. Round 2 starts Tuesday, May 14, with a doubleheader. Game 1 in the Eastern Conference Semifinal series between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Ottawa Senators will be played at 7:30 p.m. ET at CONSOL Energy Center in Pittsburgh and the Western Conference Semifinal between the Los Angeles Kings and San Jose Sharks will start at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles.

Additionally, Game 1 in the series between the Chicago Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings will be Wednesday, May 15 at 8 p.m. ET at the United Center in Chicago.

The remainder of the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs Conference Semifinals schedule, including dates, times and national television coverage for the entire round, will be released after the conclusion of tonight's games.

It will be a double dose of Game 7 drama on Monday.

Both the New York Rangers and Toronto Maple Leafs held on Sunday in must-win situations on home ice to force a deciding game in their respective Eastern Conference Quarterfinals series.

The Rangers defeated the Washington Capitals 1-0 on Sunday in Game 6 at Madison Square Garden to continue the home-ice dominance that has defined this extremely-close series. Derick Brassard scored the only goal of the game, ripping a shot past Braden Holtby midway through the second period. New York goalie Henrik Lundqvist, meanwhile, made 27 saves for the shutout.

Now, the Capitals hope that the home-ice charm continues Monday when Game 7 is played at Verizon Center (8 p.m. ET, NBCSN, TSN, RDS2), where the Capitals are 3-0 in the series and have held the Rangers to two goals.

NEW YORK -- The Conference Quarterfinal round of the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs reaches its dramatic conclusion Monday night when a pair of Eastern Conference series will be decided in Game 7. The Boston Bruins host the Toronto Maple Leafs at TD Garden (7 p.m. ET, CNBC, CBC, RDS) and the Washington Capitals welcome the New York Rangers to Verizon Center (8 p.m. ET, NBCSN, TSN, RDS2).

Toronto Maple Leafs at Boston Bruins

7 p.m. ET (CNBC, CBC, RDS)

* The Bruins and Maple Leafs will meet in a Game 7 for just the third time in their 89-season rivalry and for the first time since April 7, 1959, when the Maple Leafs skated away with a 3-2 win at Boston Garden to win their Semifinal series.

The Detroit Red Wings' shocking upset of the Anaheim Ducks in Game 7 of the Western Conference Quarterfinal series on Sunday night earned the Red Wings the "privilege" of playing the top-seeded Chicago Blackhawks in an Original 6 showdown.

In the other series, the fifth-seeded Los Angeles Kings earned home-ice advantage in its series against the San Jose Sharks, the sixth-seed, in the first round. San Jose has not played since May 7, the night it finished a four-game sweep of the favored Vancouver Canucks. The Kings, meanwhile, have not played since beating the St. Louis Blues in Game 6 on May 10.

Chicago has been idle since finishing a five-game ouster of the Minnesota Wild on May 9.

The League has yet to announce a schedule for the Western Conference Semifinal round.

OTTAWA -- Ottawa Senators center Jason Spezza skated with the team Sunday for the first time since Jan. 27, when a herniated disc in his back forced him to undergo surgery.

Spezza, clad in a grey jersey alongside the other "Black Aces" took part in a complete practice and led the stretches, leading some to speculate if the return of the 29-year-old was imminent.

"It's been a long year for me and it felt good to get some reps in," Spezza said. "It was definitely a good step. Truthfully it's hard to say [how close I am]. I've been skating with the ‘Black Aces' for a bit. The whole reason for getting back out there was that I'm getting ready to do some hard practices over the next couple of days to give me a bit of a gauge to see where I am personally. I've made improvements over the past couple of weeks that have allowed me to get to this stage."

With different reports earlier in the season suggesting that Spezza could return, the center hedged the question regarding setbacks, only admitting that there have been "ups and downs" in his recovery.

NEW YORK -- The National Hockey League announced the starting times for the Stanley Cup Playoffs Conference Quarterfinal round schedule on Sunday, May 12, as well as the potential Games 7s on Monday, May 13.

SUNDAY'S START TIMES:

4:30 p.m. ET Washington Capitals at New York Rangers Game 6

7:30 p.m. ET Boston Bruins at Toronto Maple Leafs Game 6

10 p.m. ET Detroit Red Wings at Anaheim Ducks Game 7

MONDAY'S START TIMES:

7 p.m. ET    Toronto Maple Leafs at Boston Bruins        Game 7*

8 p.m. ET    New York Rangers at Washington Capitals        Game 7*

* -- if necessary

CHICAGO -- It was only for a practice, and the Chicago Blackhawks don't even know the particulars of when and whom they'll face in the Western Conference Semifinals, but a message was sent to a couple of lineup regulars Saturday.

Rookie left wing Brandon Saad and 27-year old right wing Viktor Stalberg skated with white jerseys, rather than the normal black or red sweaters worn by members of the lineup.

Saad and Stalberg also skated outside the top four units for line rushes, with Stalberg placed at right wing on the fifth unit and Saad on the left side of the sixth group, with defensemen Ryan Stanton at center and Sheldon Brookbank on the right wing. Ben Smith skated in Saad's top-line spot, and Andrew Shaw shifted from center of the third line to Stalberg's spot on the right wing.

OTTAWA -- While the Ottawa Senators wait to learn the identity of their opponent in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, coach Paul MacLean made it clear center Jason Spezza is an unlikely participant.

The Senators' first-line center had surgery Feb. 1 to repair a herniated disc in his back and has not played since. He started skating with the team's extra players Friday, raising hope he could return at some point during the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

"[There's no hope] in my mind that [Spezza] can start the next series," MacLean said. "I don't know what the hope is -- he's in a rehab process and it has him skating. To me, it's a long way away. He has to be able to play at the level of the team."